Beginner Equipment

[t0mmiboi]

Hi All,

I've managed to save up some money to buy myself a wetsuit, boots / socks, fins and a mask. Can anyone recommend a good beginner wetsuit for diving in UK and the Med??....oh I also want to use it for surfing so it needs to be durable...

So far it appears my best option is to go for the Cressi Apnea 5mm, im not sure on Fins and I've got my eye on a Superocchio mask, but will need to try a few to see what fits best

What do you think??? Does anyone have any other recommendations for beginner equipment?? I'd rather spend more money on decent gear that will last!

Thanks!!!!

 

[pingshui]

Diving and surfing with the same suit? And using it in UK as well as Mediterranian? I am not sure that is possible.
The apnea-neoprene is usually very delicate and easily tears. It also reacts differently to compression when you dive deep. And flexibility is an issue as well. For cold lakes I use a 6mm suit, but this would be way too warm for surfing and not flexible enough. It would also be too warm for the Mediterranian.

I own 2 suits for surfing and one for apnea. A second, thinner one, for apnea will be bought soon. And I really have the feeling I need them all

 

[Simos]

5mm should be good for most months in the UK - one of the guys we dive with has the cressi 5mm and he's quite happy with it. The neoprene is slightly harder than my elios 5mm but it looks and feels like a pretty good suit, and if you bear in mind the price difference it's a quite attractive option (obviously make sure it fits well).

I don't surf so can't comment but sounds unlikely that the Freediving suit will be suitable for surfing. Maybe a spearing suit will last a bit longer..

The superocchio is an ok mask - it was my first mask but I moved on to sphera and micromask and haven't looked back. If it fits you well, i'd go straight for the micromask.

 

[Simos]

Also where in the med do you need it for? 5mm should be ok for most places in the med - might be a bit too hot especially if you have the midday sun. I usually just wear the top of my 5mm so that water can circulate more. A 3mm would be better obviously for the hot countries/months but if you just do the occasional trip to the med, I would just save money and use the 5mm

 

[t0mmiboi]

Thanks for your input lads - I did think using a suit for surfing and diving isnt gonna work. there's a kite surfing shop about 50 yards away so i'll get myself a cheap knock around suit for the surfing

I've got family in Malta so mostly there and UK (I know water temp is diff but I want to avoid buying 3 wetsuits if possible, especially at this early stage in the game)

Think il go with the Cressi 5mm, as for a mask... the difficulty is finding a scuba shop nearby that stock those masks to try on... I will take a punt with the micromask, can return it within 30 days at scubastore if it doesnt fit well. Any ideas for the FINS? All ive really been doing is pool training without any fins, so im looking for something I can use when doing some casual snorkelling, but will move me underwater too oh im tall and my legs are pretty strong if that helps

 

[Simos]

Hmmm I don't know much about fins - I've got a pair of cressi gara pro LDs. They do the job and were reasonably priced.

I had minimal requirements when I bought mine as I don't use them much (I use rubber training fins for all pool training): reasonable price, foot pocket that fits my foot well and blades that are as soft as possible. They fair reasonably well in all 3 for me but you ideally want to try them on - some fin pockets are better for wider feet, some are narrower etc. I have reasonably narrow feet and the cressi fit well (with booties on). I seem to remember a couple of years ago when I tried OMERs that they were wider...

It also depends on what type of diving you do - if you are spending hours in the water doing shallow dives around 10m-20m and having to also cover distance swimming on the surface i'd definitely go for softer fins but if you're doing deep dives and rope work, stiffer fins will give you more at the bottom.

When I'm on holiday and snorkel/freedive I even prefer to use slightly shorter fins than the traditional freediving fins as I cover a fair amount of distance surface swimming...

 

[Simos]

Just noticed your comment about having strong legs: sounds like stiffer fins will be better for you (I was looking for soft fins as I don't have particularly strong legs). If you go for Cressi look for HF (as opposed to LD) if you want a stiff blade. Eg gara 3000 HF etc

 

[hteas]

How wide are your feet? The Cressi fins are great, but the footpocket is narrow. If you need a wider footpocket< Omer is a good choice for a medium width, and Imersion is good for wide feet.

 

[t0mmiboi]

I've got quite narrow feet so I reckon the Cressi fins should do the job... What are the differences between the 2000LD's and the 3000LD's? apart from price... oh I bought myself a 3/2mm Billiabong suit for £65 !! mostly for surfing but as im just starting out I might be able to get away with using it for a while, then invest in a proper freediving suit later. One more thing... where do you guys buy your weights from ?

 

[Simos]

2000 was their earlier version, then 3000 came out. 2000LD were really good fins (as far as I remember at least) but not much point in discussing the differences I think because I doubt you will be able to buy them from anywhere - if you find them let me know, I want a pair too (you might be able to find 2000HF but not the same as the LD).

I could be wrong but i think one of the main differences is that the blade material basically is different....